How Long Are You Willing to Wait?
by Michiefmanaged2371
Summary: Zelda was the lone customer outside a café sitting at an iron-wrought table with her elbow propped onto it, her chin resting in her hand. Her other hand was resting on the table, fingers drumming impatiently against its surface. Zelda looked at her watch and sighed. It's been almost two hours. How long are you willing to wait for someone that you care about? Oneshot Zelink. AU.


**I've been reading various fanfics of different shows/movies/games for awhile now and I decided to try my hand at writing one! This is my first attempt so if you decide to read and respond, please be gentle! I hope you enjoy it. **

**Zelink/LinkxZelda or whatever you want to call it. AU. Sexual tension and fluff, what more could you want?**

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Zelda was the lone customer outside a charming little café sitting at an iron-wrought table with her elbow propped onto it, her chin resting in her hand. Her other hand was resting on the table, fingers drumming impatiently against its surface. Zelda looked at her watch and sighed. _It's been almost two hours, s_he thought. _I should've left after thirty minutes of waiting._ She then looked down at herself. _Another cute outfit wasted_. Zelda was wearing a long-sleeved summer dress with a black and white chevron pattern that she paired with tan wedges. She had on simple gold hoop earrings with the gold triforce pendant she never parted with around her neck.

She checked her watch once more, and subconsciously began to fiddle with the pendant on her necklace. _At least it's a beautiful day outside... I'll give him fifteen more minutes._

_I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late... _Link had overslept and threw on a white button down shirt, khaki shorts and some Sperrys. He slammed the door behind him and flew across the hall. He sprinted down the stairs of his apartment building two at a time and rushed out onto the sidewalk. _By the grace of the Goddesses Zelda will still be waiting for me when I get there._ He ran down the street for three blocks and skidded to a halt. Zelda was waiting for him at the café around the corner.

When Zelda arrived at the cafe and sat down, she was excited. This would be the first time she would be seeing her longtime best friend since they parted for summer break. Zelda had been in Africa, working with other young adults to help build homes for the impoverished people who lived there. Link was doing an internship at a wildlife reserve in India, studying exotic plants and animals. Due to a lack of internet connection and since neither of them had access to an international phone, the two were not able to stay in touch with each other. They had agreed before they parted ways that they would meet at this café for lunch the day after they returned from their trips. She was eager to tell Link of her experience and to hear what he learned.

Zelda had gone from excitement, to anxiety, to anger. _Maybe he forgot that today was the day we were going to meet up, _she worried. _Wait, _how _could he forget that today was the day we were meeting up?!_ She fumed. _It's not like I haven't seen him in two freaking months!_ Zelda's anger festered in her body as she snapped at the waiter who kindly approached her.

"Yes, I w_ould_ like more iced coffee! At least _someone_ is doing what they should be!"

Link's heart was pounding. He was still frozen at his spot at the corner of the block. _Well, she's already mad at me, so I can't take the friendly, 'long-time-no-see' approach. _Link smacked his forehead with his palm and shut his eyes in frustration as he cursed under his breath. Things were not going as planned. _Me being late is totally not setting the mood I was going for..._ _Well, here goes nothing,_ he resolved. Link put on a straight face and set forth for the café.

As he approached the restaurant, he saw a young blonde woman angrily declaring that she wanted a refill. Link chuckled_._ Zelda's back was to Link; she would never see him coming. He slowly approached her, scheming up a way to lighten the mood. Link stopped directly behind Zelda, placed his hands over her eyes, and softly murmured into her ear,

"Guess who?" Link immediately then felt a sharp, burning sensation across his left cheek as Zelda promptly slapped him in reply. She sighed.

"Oh, good. It's you."

"'Oh, good. It's me?' What's that supposed to mean when you just slapped me like that?" Link retorted, wincing as he pressed his hand against his face.

"I was afraid for a second I hit someone innocent of the crime of being horrendously, embarrassingly, and _ungodly_ late." Zelda replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at him with narrowed eyes. Link took a breath to respond, but Zelda beat him to it.

"How _dare_ you keep me waiting for so long, Link! I had been sitting her for almost_ two hours."_ She yelled. Zelda had uncrossed her arms and was flailing them about, emphasizing her agitated mood.

"Here I was sitting, looking forward to seeing you again. It's not like I haven't even spoken to you in _months." _Her words were like darts piercing Link's skin. He squeezed in a reply.

"I'm so sorry Zelda, I came home really late last night and got really bad jetlag from the flight back home. I didn't realize how much I overslept. Words cannot express how badly I feel right now," He pleaded.

"You '_overslept?'" _She replied."What kind of excuse is that? Alarm clocks weren't invented for nothing, you know. We've had this date set for _months._ Months, Link! You being late just makes me think, '_Oh, he probably doesn't care about you anymore Zelda. Sixty days in a foreign country has gotten him thinking about other people and has made him forget about you.'_ You know what, pal? You are so _damn_ lucky to have a friend like me! Who else has a friend who is willing to wait almost two hours for them? Guess what, Link? _Not many people_."

An acrid ball of guilt continued to grow in Link's stomach as he listened to Zelda's rant. He was paralyzed by her sheer terror, unable to form a coherent response to her tirade. _Ugh, why is everything going wrong? This is _not _what was supposed to happen._ Zelda's face went from pink to red as her voice started to choke up. Link's heart began to break as he saw tears well up in the corners of her eyes. As she spoke, Link became restless, trying to restrain the emotion building up inside of him.

"Being away from you for so long made me realize how much I care about you, Link. Here I was, anxiously waiting for you to arrive…"

"Zelda, if you would just listen to me, and let me explain…" Link said. Zelda continued without missing a beat, disregarding him.

"…while you decided to just push me and my feelings aside, not even bothering-" Zelda was immediately silenced as Link grabbed each side of her face and fiercely planted his lips onto hers.

Zelda's eyes widened in surprise as her body stiffened in shock, her arms frozen in the air, mid-rant. Link body was electrified as he kissed his best friend, but his heart ached for the potential retribution he would receive for this rash act. His strong, but gentle hands were planted around her face as he continued the kiss. Zelda's body was bubbling up with warmth as she closed her eyes and responded, kissing Link back. She snaked her hands around his neck and pulled him closer.

Seconds, minutes, days could have possibly gone by and neither of the two would have known. Link pulled away from Zelda, taking a death breath as he opened his eyes. Zelda also took a breath, opening her cerulean eyes, gazing into Link's azure eyes inches from her face. Link used his thumbs to gently brush away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks. He marveled at how even in sadness, Zelda was the most beautiful woman he knew. The redness around her eyes made them look the most remarkable shade of blue he had ever seen. Zelda looked back at Link, admiring his strong facial features and his kind eyes. Link, in a gentle, soft voice said,

"_Now_ will you listen to me?" Link looked at her imploringly. Zelda let out a weak laugh and nodded. She hugged him fiercely. Link held her in his arms as she pressed her body against his. He closed his eyes and smelled her soft, perfumed hair. Zelda enjoyed the warmth and comfort of his embrace.

"I missed you so much," she whispered into his chest.

"I missed you too. More than you'll ever know." He replied.

"I never would've thought that it was going to take me being completely separated from you for two months to realize that I loved you." Zelda confessed.

"Oh," Link chuckled, "I always knew I loved you. I waited too long to tell you. It's good that you've finally come to your senses, though." He smirked.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

"Gladly." Smiling, they slowly closed their eyes as Link drew Zelda close to kiss her. Hearts pounding, Zelda pushed her body up against Link, craning her neck. Link bent his head down, cradling the back of Zelda's head with one hand as he held her around the waist with his other hand. Zelda wrapped her arms around Link's neck, holding onto him. There was no empty space between the two.

"I have your iced coffee, miss..." The waiter trailed off as he saw the formerly angry café patron now passionately kissing a man. He smiled as he set down her drink and retreated to the interior of the restaurant. _Looks like he was worth the wait, _he thought.


End file.
